I have heard a lot of arguments trying to apologize for Tolkien, saying that he wasn't really a sexist, and the women were a lot more important than they come off as being. I don't really see it as such a big deal as all that. I think that the presentation of women we get is neither offensive nor sexist, it's merely a product of Tolkien's experience with gender roles, women and literature.

The women we are presented with--

• Rosie Cotton
• Goldberry
• Arwen
• Galadriel
• Éowyn

--while limited, stand in marked contrast to the men. While male characters seem forever torn between good and evil, the only women we see are beacons of virtue. So let's give Tolkien some credit there. Since there is nary a female to be seen on the side of evil (though, presumably there must be some female orcs or the species would have died out), we have to assume that Tolkien did this on purpose. Maybe he felt that women were incapable of supreme evil. Maybe that's a good or bad thing-- he could have seen them as angels, or not smart enough to pull it off. I can't speak for his motives, but I will generally take it as a good note that Tolkien's women are all exemplars to all of us.

His women, however, remain largely in the domestic sphere. With the exception of Éowyn, the women sit at home. But we can't blame him too much for that. These stories were written more than two decades before the feminist revolution. Never before in the history of the world had women generally done anything other than stay at home. It is a mistake to brand him a sexist because of this. I am more inclined to think the opposite. I don't think he saw women's stay-at-home roles as wrong. It was, to him and the rest of the world at the time, the natural order of the universe. Women are just better around the house, which is the center of any man's world, so long as his priorities are in order. In the traditional lifestyles lived, studied by, and written about by Tolkien, a Woman's role in the home was the best application for both her talents and biological function.

While Tolkien was maybe not quite so in touch with women, as evidenced in their very limited appearance and rather bland, un-girly conversational styles, I think that he had great reverence for them. Why? Every female character in his works is worshipped by the male characters around her. Sam idolized Rosie Cotton in the same way that Tom Bombadil's every thought was for the comfort and happiness of his beloved Goldberry. Galadriel, wiser, more beautiful, and far more helpful than her husband, Celeborn, is revered by all who know her. And why did Aragorn finally get off his kiester and go to war? Because the kingship of a restored Gondor and Arnor was the bride-price Elrond demanded for the beloved Evenstar of the elves. Nothing less than conquering the known world would do for his little girl.

These women are posessors of many virtues: beyond more superficial things like sublime beauty and gentleness, they are resourceful, understanding, supportive, intelligent, helpful, thoughtful-- the list goes on. It's almost ridiculous, because while every male character is helplessly flawed, all of the women are, literally, perfect.

Éowyn stands alone as the variant female, and is Tolkien's tribute to feminine energy and restlessness. This girl just couldn't be contained. And obviously, for him, that wasn't a problem, because Éowyn gets more attention than any other female character in any of his books. Brave, intelligent, loyal, and perserverant, she stands alone to protect her fallen king against the Witch King of Angmar. Are there any guys around? Nope. The fact that she relinquishes her role as a warrior princess to marry and settle down with Faramir in Ithilien isn't necessarily Tolkien saying that she's giving up any of herself-- she outranks her husband and is moving to a rough-and-tumble neighborhood in need of a lot of work. Who says that she isn't just taking her talents where they are really needed?

Although I definitely identify with first-generation feminism, I feel I'm more of a "postfeminist" if such a term exists. I am not offended by the thought that women are best at maintaining the home and raising children, because we are. And there is nothing wrong with that. Thanks to the valiant efforts of earlier feminists, women of the younger generations have the opportunity to choose if and when to marry, have children, or stay at home with them.

It seems that Tolkien, while possibly an old-school misogynist, maybe thought women were too good. His reverence for feminine virtue backfires a little, because it leaves his female characters flat and undynamic. Women aren't perfect, and so they have a place battling in the real world next to the men. Women can't be protected from every evil thing, although it is nice to know that there are men out there who try hard to.